Electric vehicles for clean air

A ranking official of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said that electric vehicles (EVs) is the only way forward in our mass transit system to address the appalling roadside air quality in the metropolis.

“Going electric is not only desirable,” said Transportation Undersecretary Aristotle B. Batuhan at the 1st Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit, adding “If we believe in our collective vision of a clean and green transportation future, we can make it happen”.

Batuhan deplored the worrisome roadside air quality in Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao and in all other major cities in the country.

He said the government is eyeing exemptions from the ban on new franchises, along with tax breaks and government loans for electric vehicles. These incentives will be offered to manufacturers and operators of electric vehicles to encourage the use of emission-free transports.

These perks are needed to entice bus operators to shell out an extra P2-3 million to purchase electric vehicles instead of another gas-guzzling mode.

The DOTC is planning to grant an initial limited number of electric bus franchise in Metro Manila despite the standing moratorium against new issuances, he said.

Such special franchises will be auctioned to interested operators and may allow these electric buses to ply commuter-packed roads like EDSA.

The 1st Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit was held recently at the Meralco in Pasig City to assess the country’s EV industry, the consumers’ readiness to adopt the EV technology and see how to grow the domestic EV industry.

It expects to prepare road map for the EV industry for at least the next five years and be ready with solutions to overcome the current technical hurdles with the needed infrastructure.

The summit was organized by the Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (MVPMAP), World Wide Fund for Nature Save the Air Partnership for Clean Air, Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines and the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities in cooperation with DOTC, Meralco and Motolite.